DECODE SNOW SPEAK Get familiar with the lingo before you head slope-side and you’ll be on your way to finding some serious snow cred before the chairlift even takes off… BIZARRE WINTER SPORTS CHECK OUT THESE CRAZY GAMES COMING TO A FROZEN LOCATION PROBABLY NOWHERE NEAR YOU. POW POW (NOUN): Light and fluffy powder snow, usually freshly fallen. GAPER (NOUN): Bad skier or boarder, usually a beginner. FRESHIES (NOUN): Virgin, untracked snow, usually the first of the day. GNAR (ADJ): Awesome or cool. TO HUCK (VERB): To jump or get air. TO SHRED (VERB): To carve through the snow with style. FACE SHOT (NOUN): Snow that sprays in your face while skiing in deep powder. TO BACKSEAT SKI (VERB): To lean too far back on your skis. TO SWITCH (VERB): To ski backwards. SEPTIC (ADJ): A day of very good powder. TWO-FOOT FLU (NOUN): Illness used to get off work/ school to go skiing. ICE SAILING If you thought the Sydney to Hobart yacht race was tough, try doing it on ice. Originating in the Netherlands in the 18th century as a method of transporting goods over vast ice fields, ice sailing has become a recognised extreme winter sport, especially popular in northern Europe. Think about a kayak on ice skates with a sail skimming across ice at speeds up to 100km/h and you’ll understand the depth of insanity needed to take part. SKELETON SLEDDING Do not try this at home. Skeleton sliders hurl themselves down the same steep and windy ice track used by bobsleighers. The key difference is that they do so clinging to a tiny flat sled with no steering or braking mechanisms at speeds topping 130km/h – head first! The strange sport has been part of the Winter Olympics since 1928 and is the fastest way to a major headache. SHOVEL RACING A simple fact of life is that men, regardless of their situation, will always find ways to race each other. That’s exactly how the bizarre sport of shovel racing was born. When snowfield maintenance workers discovered that the fastest way down the mountain was using their shovels as makeshift sleds, it didn’t take long for the races to begin. The official World Shovel Race Championships (which were cancelled in 2005 after several lawsuits by injured participants) recorded the highest shovel racing speed at an incredible 107.8km/h. BUST A MOOV A meeting of minds or just a happy accident? When two sisters, Meisha Strykowski and Bryony Proctor, got sick of getting wet feet in their Uggs and cold toes in their gumboots, the Moovboot was born. Offering customers the best of both worlds, these waterproof wellington boots are lined with 100 per cent Australian merino wool. The Moovboot is available in different colours and patterns, depending on the statement you want to make this winter. Prices start from $230. Visit www.moovboot.com. MAYVOYEUR 013